Labor is certainly not a new problem for the pork industry, but the more recent shortage starting in 2020 has forced us to focus on labor management and efficiency. This focus on improving efficiency has led to substantial growth in the on-farm data sector. From data input and access via smartphones to the use of sensors for accurate bin readings, the future of swine management relies on data.

Historically, the pork industry placed a large emphasis on analyzing data to identify production practices that improve farm profitability, however in many cases the amount of data collected greatly outweighs the producers and consultants ability to clean and analyze it effectively. Vita Plus has worked with their customers to develop a suite of reports that evaluate economic sustainability and production efficiency. With this suite of reports, we can look at the farm’s individual data to drive labor, marketing and performance efficiency decisions, while tracking the realized on farm value to the bottom line.

Leveraging the historical data can lead to improved labor utilization. Historical data allows us to look retrospectively at what works and what may not. We can answer the often customer specific questions of: How many times a day should a nursery be chored? Which staff member ranks supreme on production tasks? What age do pigs need extra attention?

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With the improvement in data collection, most farms possess heaps of data that can help us understand the status and problems with pigs on feed, however very little of data we analyze is done in real time. Most farms wait until a group closes out, then attempt to post-mortem problems and successes. The next step in the data analytics is to create tools and predictive analysis that simplify the decision-making process and identify areas for improvement which will enable producers and staff to streamline the decision-making process and help focus labor on the problematic groups.

Vita Plus began working with Meta Farms in 2020 to develop tools that aid producers in managing marketings and identifying groups in need of intervention. We have developed three dashboards that focus on leveraging the active group data that are embedded in the MetaFarms Insights platform.

Weight Tracker

The first question we began tackling: how do we improve first cut market weight variability? Through our evaluations of marketing efficiency, we identified a need to develop a better method of selecting top outs loads. Many of the producers we were working with scheduled top out loads based on a fixed number of days on feed. The variability in individual group health, performance and start weights often led to inconsistent weights at top out. Furthermore, as swine producers know, if we miss target on first cut weights, it is difficult to get the group back on track. With the data that was available on MetaFarms we were able to develop a model that used group data to predict the weight of that group, accurately accounting for feed, mortality, transfers, population differences and performance differences. Furthermore, we leverage historical data to fine tune the model allowing for a more accurate prediction. The model aims to answer the question of how many pigs will be available, and when, for first cut while maintaining the optimum market weight.

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Group Alert Summary

While developing the model for the Weight Tracker we saw the opportunity to create an alert summary dashboard that identifies groups of pigs that have fallen behind the farm’s ideal growth curve and/or advanced beyond the targeted mortality curve. This allows us to identify groups that may need more attention. As the industry expands the in-barn data collected and reported, there is opportunity for us to add to these dashboards capabilities.

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Shackle Line Up

The most recent dashboard leveraged the active data to forecast farm marketing schedules for a 17-week period. Utilizing a farm’s active data allows the dashboard to evaluate all pigs on feed and predict when each load in that group will reach the optimum market weight. The model accuracy improves as more data is input with that group, adjusting for performance and group variability. We aim to help producers meet the requests of packers to schedule further out and provide quarterly estimates, while maintaining optimum market weights and pig flows.

With the ongoing pork industry labor shortage, the integration of advanced data analytics and technology within the industry is not just a trend but a necessity. As the industry continues to evolve, the ability to leverage data effectively will become increasingly important. Moreover, the collaboration between different industry stakeholders is essential for the successful implementation of data-driven strategies. This includes not only the producers and farm managers, but also the technology providers, data analysts and farm consultants. By working together, these stakeholders can continue to develop innovative solutions that address the unique challenges faced by the pork industry.

With these dashboards, we are making a small step in the ability to leverage large data sets effectively to help producers continue to improve productivity and profitability. If you are interested in learning more about the Vita Plus dashboards and data analytics, please contact Garrett Rozeboom (Ph. (507)402-0191 Email: [email protected])